The hardest thing about running a PR shop may be building a PR shop. It’s one thing to get going and bring in enough business to keep afloat and take care of your family. I did that reasonably well for more than 10 years. But about three years ago I decided I wanted to build my small consultancy into an honest-to-goodness PR firm. Not an easy task, especially in Washington, DC, a city with more PR shops than McDonald’s.

Other than one five-day trip to London with my wife last spring, I’ve not rested since. (Indeed, ended up sick while working last week, which is why there was no Blogenberg last Tuesday.)

I’ve hired extremely talented staff – and won’t hire any other kind. I’ve got great consulting on federal contracting and accounting from Aronson & Company. We won some major federal contracts. (I’m always amazed, as happened just last week, by people who assert [with real nastiness, mind you] that I must be rolling in cash because we have some large contracts and we’re a small shop – ever hear of partners and subcontractors, folks?)

But now my job is and has been building on the success we’ve had, of continually marketing and bringing in additional business because I always assume that, at any moment, large contracts can become gone contracts. It’s a hard job. And I work at it non-stop. I’m always selling. Constantly having lunches and meeting with people, all scheduled around getting the work done for existing clients. I’ve formed strategic alliances with an advertising firm and an international marketing shop. I’m meeting later this week to explore an alliance with a boutique design shop that does big work.

It’s a constant battle – one that I find exhilarating most of the time though, I admit, not every day. I don’t yet know what the future of my shop looks like. I know I’m doing everything and taking every step to build this PR shop but whether it will work out as I want it, that, I’m just not sure of yet.

The one thing I do know is that this summer I am taking a 10-day break, a long-awaited family vacation to Europe. Otherwise I’m going to drive myself into the ground. Fortunately, I’ve got terrific staff that can keep the engines running very well while I’m away, and then I’ll be reenergized for more work and selling…selling and work.

Bonus Blogenberg:

Drove by a restaurant yesterday. Big sign out front: “Thursday is Mystery Wheel Day.� Maybe it’s because I went to a college where every night in the cafeteria was mystery meat night, where one day I went to dig into the big communal salad bowl and a mouse poked its head out and looked at me before diving back in, but I don’t want the word “mystery� and a restaurant I eat at appearing in the same sentence.

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